Things are Looking Up ((Kiandra & Maggewetok))

[Tal Kote]

((OOC: Occurs a few days after this thread.))

-The time lapse of being off world was way to long; at least by his own standards. He could only imagine what his desk looked back on base. At the moment, however, that wasn't really any of his concern. There were more pressing matters to attend to and it all began with girl -- no younger then himself -- that he had met on Naboo. While they had waited for the drop out of hyperspace Kote had already forwarded a message to a friend within the NR about the possibility of having this girl join the Intel department of the NR. First hand the blond had experienced what she was capable of! Skills that were more then capable for the NR and a very nice pay to go with the skills she had possessed. Getting a meeting was not much harder then actually getting in to see a SpecOps member, but either way he knew this would help Kia have new experiences and utilize her skills the way she wanted.-

-Thani was a city much like that of Coruscant; although Tal had yet to pay a visit to the large city-planet. This would have to do. At the moment there wasn't much of a military standard to show here, and Tal sure enough didn't want to show off that he was the military leader. He was trying his best to make himself a little more oriented with Intel, but it was hard enough when the media was wanting questions and demanding answers to those questions. At least when he came here he was able to slip in an undercover status. It wasn't a time to dress formal. He wasn't the one here for an 'interview' purse. But his current dress offered enough to where no one in the media would question him. As they approached the Swoop Tracks; the blond mandalorian looked over to Kiandra.-

"Don't worry this is a whole lot easier then the other places here on Telos," -Tal said calmly.- "You'll do fine; I'll be here if you need anything."

-Stepping into the facility; Tal walked over to the bar and waved in for two non-alcoholic drinks while they waited. The individual was a good friend of the mandalorian's and had personally allowed him entrance into the Intel department for missions and other means that were concerned with the NR. He wasn't worried at all about this. Was just a matter of waiting for her to show up is all.-

[Kiandra Matae]

The journey from Naboo to Telos was a mixed ride for sure. Having never left Naboo before, Kiandra Matae found the whole experience of Space Travel both thrilling and terrifying. Thrilling because she got to understand the wonders of such a journey and terrifying because she was getting too much stimuli. For a girl who suffered from High Functioning Autism, Kiandra was confronted with having to see so many new faces and while she could usually go off to a quiet room or corner of the rehab facility if it became too much for her, she couldn't do that on the shuttle and as a result, found the long trip stressful. By the end of it, Kiandra was somewhat glad to be back on solid ground again as she finally had a little bit of personal space.

When she first stepped on Telosian soil for the first time, however, the nineteen year old couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. Thani was nothing like Theed or Kadaara on Naboo. They had grass and you moved around on a ground speeder. Thani on the other hand was pure plasteel and concrete with speeders flying high and low and in some areas, there was a recreational area with asthetics such as fountains and park benches.

"How do you guys live without feeling the grass under your feet or seeing building after building with no mountains or lakes? Telos does have grass, lakes and mountains somewhere right?" she asked as Tal guided her to what appeared to be a swoop track. Watching a swoop fly by actually excited the girl for she had a love for motorsport and was glued to the screen above their heads and near enough ignoring everything else...except Tal of course. When he spoke, she paid attention...for a moment anyway.

"As much as I love to watch a swoop race, why would the contact want to meet us here?" she asked as she looked back at the screen, eyes fixated on the dodges and turns and flinching as one of the swoops blew up on the screen. "Ooh! That's going to hurt...i-if he's still in one piece anyway. Not so much if he's in many..."

[Maggewetok]

Getting the message on her private com, Ilana knew that most for interviewing never knew who they were talking to until that moment came to accept them, or Ilana walked away with a polite goodbye. It all depended on them, she mused as the director in casual clothes and ball cap moved through the usual crowd flowing into and out of the seating area. Vendors plied their wares and memorabilia and the smells from the other food and drink vendors filled the air busy with discussion and the sound system blaring the races. Commentators made the whole experience more exciting and she actually loved the buzz here as it gave her a place to be herself for a while.

But, today was another work day, she mused as hazel eyes caught sight of the blond haired Mandalorian and the girl beside him. Her wide-eyed look as one of the drivers took a nose dive also caught most in the audience beyond them. "They wear a lot of protective gear, so I'm sure he's fine," Ilana informed as she stepped up to Kiandra's left, her eyes on the holoprojector hovering above them. Turning, she grinned at Tal's guest, motioning to the Mandalorian, "He been boring you with war stories?"

One of the great things about this venue was the loud audience and ambient noise around them, keeping conversations nearly private regardless of how close some passed.

[Tal Kote]

"Don't worry," -Tal responded calmly.- "Thani maybe a big city, but you will get some urban life as well."

-It was a better way of saying 'yes there are grassy hills, lakes, and mountains out there. Actually, was the kind of place where the mandalorian preferred to live. His current home was out there with several trees, mountains, and a nearby lake. It was just like back home on Manda'yaim only it was Telos. Given time Kiandra would be introduced to where she would be staying, but for now... yellow eyes glanced over to Ilana who had joined them. That was the contact that the mandalorian was speaking of during their trip from Naboo back here to Telos.

"War stories?" -Tal questioned shooting his yellow eyes at Magge.- "You know as well as I do that I'm not really big on speaking of what happened while on campaigns."

Although it doesn't hurt to say something.

[Kiandra Matae]

Kiandra's gaze moved from the screen toward the direction of the woman's voice, her features looked somewhat uncomfortable in her surroundings and the way she seemed to sit on her hands made a more subtle statement of how worried she felt in this place. Too much noise, too many people and their close proximity were her main issues and while she initially didn't speak to this new person, she did offer a small smile, trying to at least appear friendly, even though she had no idea what to say. Conversation wasn't really her thing as she often stumbled on her words, especially with people she didn't know, but she watched as Tal and the woman spoke, as if they were old friends and she figured that the two knew each other. That meant it was safe enough to open up, even if her words were a mess.

"No. He didn't... I didn't ask and Lucille said it would be a bad idea so I haven't."

Urgh those words sounded better in my head! Perhaps it would just be better if I introduced myself. At least then I can find out more about this lady.

"I'm Kiandra Matae..." she said, offering a nervous smile. The girl's already shaky confidence was dented somewhat by how overwhelmed she was with everything. There were so many changes she'd be making in her life and the only constant in her life right now was Tal.

[Maggewetok]

Ilana grinned at Tal as he tried to backpedal, prompting a chuckle. "A Mandalorian that doesn't tout his accomplishments, no wonder you're here, unless all the rumors aren't true." Nagging him about his culture was only one way to not only get back in touch with the one that had helped save her life not a year ago, but also to help Kiandra open up, which seemed to be working a little. Though, with the initial assessment, Ilana wasn't sure this girl was Intel material, unless all this was just a front.

"Nice to meet you, Kiandra. Miriam Peralta," she used the name of a dear friend knowing it was a safe one. "I heard you were being dragged here by him," she motioned to Tal once again. "Hope he was gentle at least."

[Tal Kote]

"Over-confidence can lead to downfall," -Tal responded; his eyes then became more focused after she had spoken of the 'rumors'.- "Don't need to be in any kind of trouble; you know what will happen if someone finds out about a few certain things."

-He was more elaborating on some of the missions he had completed with Intel more then with the military. It was almost as if Kote was a true intelligence operative. However, at the moment he wasn't the one doing all that questioning. Lifting the glass of water up he sipped on it for a while till Ilana brought him back into the mix of the conversation. Really?-

She just doesn't stop...

"I have you know I am the sweetest guy you will ever meet."

[Kiandra Matae]

As the lady introduced herself Kiandra smiled a little, though appeared to be looking for signs of deception. Sweaty palms, change in breathing pattern. In the rehab facility, Kiandra had become pretty good at finding out who was going to explode in rage just by looking at certain areas of the body. That trick had taken a long time, and a bit of training by Lucille to master, however, as her condition meant she had difficulty in deciphering body language. This lady was as 'cool as a cucumber' as Lucille would say, either because it was her real name, or she'd been doing her job for a long time. Either way, Kiandra wasn't certain about her.

And as the woman teased her and Tal, Kiandra started to retreat back into her shell somewhat. It wasn't that Kiandra didn't have a sense of humour. She actually had a wicked sense of humour once she'd fully opened up to someone or her environment, but she didn't understand the concept of teasing. She'd never really been teased back at the facility so the friendly banter was somewhat new to her. Her mind was telling her to retreat to her datapad for a while, but instead she sat on her hands. She knew that this was important and knew that if she played with her datapad and messed around with the holonet in an unknown place, she could get into deep trouble. She didn't want that...yet.

While she didn't respond to the teasing, Kiandra did sit quietly in observation, watching the two talk. It was what she did best. Observing, despite her struggle to understand body language. She needed to know if this was someone to be trusted, just as much as this woman needed to know she could trust her.

[Maggewetok]

Ilana smiled at Tal and noticed that Kiandra didn't really know how to react to her, trust being the major issue apparently. Canting her head to the side slightly, hazel eyes locked with Kiandra's worried orbs and she could tell a lot about the girl already. Grinning sympathetically, the director opened up a bit more.

"You sure this job is what you want," she queried in low tones, even though the raucous reactions to the race erupted all around them.

[Tal Kote]

-Humor part aside; Kote had taken notice of Kiandra slowly closing back up into her own world. It didn't really take her long to open up to him, but this was a different person altogether. Exhaling a small breath of air; he placed his right hand upon Kia's shoulder and gave her a reassured look. Something that would help her open up a little more to the person who was asking questions. Tal, himself, knew that Kiandra could very well fit this job... she just had to open herself up and make herself look good to say "I want to work here".-

[Kiandra Matae]

Kiandra looked around her. Her thoughts drowning in the sea of voices. It was hard to think in such raucous noise but it was something she had been prepared for. Lucille knew how terrible the girl was in such chaotic circumstances so together, they had prepared something special in her holocomm. Pulling the highly modified piece of equipment out from her bag, Kiandra activated it and handed it to the woman before her. A small holographic version of herself appeared and would do the talking for her now that her own voice had gone mute from her surroundings. The hologram itself wasn't exactly an AI but it seemed to speak as if it had a life of its own, especially when Kiandra pulled out another bit of tech that was clipped onto the back of her ear. As soon as the two devices connected, the Kiandra hologram took over, translating thought into words.

"If I didn't want this, I wouldn't be here." It began. "I'm sorry for not speaking in voice. The surroundings are too overwhelming for me to talk. I am... Autistic. Crowds are too much for me. The quiet is better."

Kiandra smiled a little. She was nervous, that was certain, but she did seem to have a determined look in her eye. "Do not dismiss me because of my disabilities and lack of confidence. I am more than what I seem. I can be more than what I am if given the chance. Give me patience, time and a whole load of tech and you will see how I shine. The device you hold in your hand for instance. Its a holocomm that I've modified to help me at times like this, when crowds and unfamiliar surroundings become too much. It is the first time I've tried this properly and it seems to work well, does it not?" Kiandra looked around her for a moment before focusing back on the woman. "I want to be here. I wouldn't make a trip off Naboo and take this plunge if I did not. The question is, however, can you accept me for who I am? Can you accept someone that may take a little while longer to open up to new people and new surroundings and see who they really are inside?"

[Maggewetok]

Taking in the two pieces of hardware, Ilana quickly realized that Kiandra wasn't a field agent, but an analyst and someone that would definitely be able to help them in the background. There were always needs for smart and unique people in those roles. Listening to the issue that the recruit had, but also her determination to be a valuable part of Intel, the director nodded and grinned.

"I can definitely see an advantage already to having you on one of our teams. You're going to have to get used to working with others, but typically you'll be alongside others of like mind, though not always of similar backgrounds or talents. We need those who can help us see things that aren't normally seen in the field," hazel eyes continued being focused on the girl as she hoped that everything she had surmised thus far was accurate. "Assess reports from agents, throw out most of it and then put together a fuller picture that will help us defeat the enemy and keep our allies safe. It's a high pressure job, so before you say yes, make sure this is the career you want. People's lives are on the line with what we do everyday. We can't afford to make a mistake."

[Tal Kote]

-While Kiandra spoke about herself and then Ilana responding; Kote took it upon himself to observe the swoop race that was taking place. He was really wanting to jump behind the pilot seat of one of those machines. Just how much longer before PTSD would kick in. Lowering his eyes; Tal exhaled and then lifted a glass of water sipping it. While the same time he was also listening to the words that were exchanged between the two women sitting next to him.-

[Kiandra Matae]

Kiandra listened to the woman intently about the job she would have. Working with others is something she can learn to do and as for detail, Kiandra was a stickler for it. Surprisingly, despite her discomfort of being in a large crowd, Kiandra often did well under pressure. She knew that, with time and training, she could work well in the conditions the woman described if given the chance. Still she contemplated it for a moment. Even her little hologram seemed to think things through before finally giving a nod, her little hologram saying in confirmation. "I think... no, I know I can do it! Just show me what to do and I'll do my very best!"

Kiandra's eyes darted around her for a moment as they drifted toward Tal, her head canting to one side as she watched his reactions. Kiandra did get the lowdown from Lucille of his triggers so did her best to try and distract him from having his onset of PTSD. Perhaps Kiandra could help him somehow, like he'd helped her. Going back into her bag, Kiandra pulled out her tablet and seemed to be engrossed in it for a moment. Seconds later, the holoprojector in front of Tal displayed a strange, yet funny video of a dog eating bubblegum. It seemed Kiandra had somehow managed to hijack the projector for her own needs. As the video played, Kiandra quickly put her tablet in her bag, seemingly amused as some patrons looked at the screen with confusion, others laughing at the interruption of programming before it returned to normal.

[Maggewetok]

Handing the holo device back to her, Ilana grinned and then watched the short video and chuckled. She enjoyed having people under her that enjoyed what they did and had a good attitude about their teammates as well. Glancing to the race for a moment, she observed the winner as the swoop zipped passed the finish line and the eruption of celebration from those that may have won a little money as well as the silence of the rest filled the stadium.

Returning her gaze to Kiandra, "Welcome aboard," she motioned to Tal. "I'm sure he'll help get you settled and I'll see you in the morning then." Within moments, Ilana drifted into the crowd and disappeared.